Tag: Islamic State

Hezbollah Signage in Baalbek, Lebanon

Hizbullah and Syria: Quagmire or Political Opportunity?

Hizbullah’s armed involvement in the Syrian conflict since mid-2013 took a new twist this week with reports that Israeli warplanes had bombed targets in territory held by the Syrian government near Damascus on 7 December 2014

Ashura

Jihadi Blowback in Saudi Arabia

After recent attacks on Saudi Shiites by jihadis returning home from the war in Syria, Paul Aarts asks whether Islamic State’s sectarian war might spill over into Saudi Arabia.

ISIS Flag

Why can’t we defeat ISIS?

Michael Gunter and Nahro Zagros explain the origins of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), how they have ruthlessly explored the weaknesses of the Syrian and Iraqi states, and why they are proving so difficult to challenge.

Peshmerga Fighters in Kirkuk

Understanding Kobane

Christopher Davidson looks beyond the headlines to ask: what are the broader implications of the attack on Kobane?

Islamic State’s Willing Executioners

Islamic State’s extreme violence cannot be explained away as ‘socially determined’ behaviour. Part of the motivation is the allure of killing itself, writes Simon Cottee.

ISIS Flag

Turkey and the ‘Islamic State’

Turkey is notably reluctant to join a military campaign against ISIS. In fact, Ankara’s ambiguity towards the radical Islamist group has deep political as well as historical roots.